Tafsir of Al-Furqan 25:52

"So do not obey the disbelievers" in what they want you to do, and this is an incitement for him—peace and blessings be upon him—and for the believers. "And strive against them with it"—that is, with the Quran, as Ibn Jarir and Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both). This is done by reciting what it contains of proofs, warnings, threats, exhortations, and reminders of the states of the disbelieving nations. "A great striving"—for the invitation of all the worlds in the aforementioned manner is a great striving whose magnitude cannot be estimated in quantity or quality.

The ordering of what was mentioned over what preceded it is as the Fa (the particle of consequence) necessitates, considering that the restriction of the Messengership to him—peace and blessings be upon him—is a magnificent blessing that requires gratitude, and what was mentioned is a type of gratitude. It is as if it were said: "We have sent you as a warner to all the villages, and We have favored you and exalted you, and We have not sent a warner to every village, so respond to that with steadfastness and diligence in the invitation and the manifestation of the truth."

In al-Kashf, it is stated to explain the orderly structure: When He mentioned what indicates his—peace and blessings be upon him—eagerness to seek their guidance and their feigning of it in His saying: "Have you seen him who takes as his god his own desire? Then would you be responsible for him?" and He followed it with the evidences of power, blessing, and mercy as an indication that assembling (preaching) does not benefit them, and that they disdain such blessings, are heedless of the greatness of their Creator—the Almighty—and have been made like cattle or even more astray, and concluded that they have no desire except for the denial of His blessing—the Almighty—it was said: "And if We had willed..." in the sense that "We have exalted you with this matter so that you might stand alone with its burdens and attain what has been stored for you of the species of its reward. Therefore, apply yourself to the struggle and perseverance, and do not be concerned with their reception of the invitation with refusal and disputation." It is emphasized therein, so that his—peace and blessings be upon him—eagerness for the faith of those whose hearts have been sealed is made synonymous with obedience to them.

It is also said: "Do not obey them." The pivot of the Surah, according to what al-Tayyibi mentioned, is that he—peace and blessings be upon him—is sent to all people to warn them of what is before them and what is behind them. For this reason, the beauty of its opening was made: "Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His servant that he may be to the worlds a warner." The verse, as you have heard, is connected to His saying: "Have you seen..." up to the end of the verses, and it contains the exaltation of his status—peace and blessings be upon him—that it contains; it is not driven by the intent of discipline, as some have mistakenly thought.

It is also said: It is connected to what is at the beginning, in the sense that if We had willed, We would have divided the warners among them as We divided the rain among them, but We do what is most beneficial for them in their religion and their worldly life, so We sent you to them all; therefore, do not obey... etc. There is in this (interpretation) a limitation of vision.

Furthermore, it is permitted that the pronoun in "with it" refers to the abandonment of their obedience, which is understood from the prohibition. Perhaps the Ba (preposition) in this case is for mulabasa (concomitance); the meaning would be: "Strive against them with what was mentioned of the rulings of the noble Quran, while concomitant with abandoning their obedience." It is as if it were said: "Strive against them with intensity and firmness, not with compliance and compromise," as in His saying: "O Prophet, strive against the disbelievers and the hypocrites and be harsh upon them." It is objected to this that mere abandonment of obedience is achieved without any invitation at all, and there is no trace of striving in it, let alone a "great striving."

It is also permitted that it refers to what was indicated by His saying—the Almighty—"And if We had willed, We would have sent into every city a warner," regarding his being—peace and blessings be upon him—the warner of all cities. Because if a warner had been sent to every city, it would have been the duty of every warner to strive against his own city, so those struggles would have all gathered upon the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—and therefore his striving would have become great and magnificent. So it was said to him—peace and blessings be upon him: "Strive against them, by virtue of being the warner of all cities, a great striving, one that encompasses every struggle." This is countered by the argument that explaining the cause of the greatness of the striving in terms of quantity holds no added benefit, for it is self-evident; rather, what is appropriate for the context is to explain the cause of its greatness in quality. Abu Hayyan permitted that the pronoun refers to the sword, but you know that the Surah is Meccan and striving with the sword was not legislated in Mecca. Despite this, what is in this (interpretation) is not hidden.

The verse is used as evidence, in the transmitted manner, for the greatness of the striving of the scholars against the enemies of religion through the evidences they present to them; and those with the most abundant share of this are those among them who strive with the Quran.